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Did you know how a low-oxygen environment can help embryos grow and increase live birth rates?
Embryo culture is an important part of the in vitro fertilization process, which involves promoting the growth of embryos in artificial culture medium. The timing of embryo transfer may vary depending on the developmental stage, usually at the cleavage stage (2nd to 4th day after fertilization) or blastocyst stage (5th or 6th day after fertilization). This process not only involves the healthy development of the embryo, but also directly affects the live birth rate.
During the culture process to the blastocyst stage, a significant increase in the live birth rate was observed.
Optimal conditions for embryo culture include oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations that mimic the mother's uterine environment. Research shows that keeping oxygen at 5%, carbon dioxide at 6%, and setting the correct temperature and pH are key. The temperature should be maintained at 37 degrees and the pH value needs to be between 7.2 and 7.5 to ensure that the embryos have an optimal growth environment during the culture process.
Oxygen and acid-base balance in embryo culture are critical to the health and growth of the embryo.
In terms of embryo culture technology, researchers can choose to use artificial culture medium or co-culture with autologous endometrium. In artificial culture, a single culture medium may be used or different culture media may be switched sequentially depending on the developmental stage of the embryo. For blastocyst stage culture, one medium is usually used on day 3 and then changed to another one. Although both single and sequential culture media are effective in promoting the development of human embryos, there is a need for continuous improvement in the composition of these media to enhance embryonic growth performance.
The nutrient composition required by embryos at different stages will be different, which is crucial to improving embryonic vitality.
The study also found that using low oxygen concentrations (5%) increased live birth rates compared to the traditional 20% oxygen environment, and did not show an increased risk of multiple births, miscarriage or birth defects. This makes low oxygen environment an important direction for future embryo culture.
In this regard, the buffer system and pH control of the culture medium are crucial. Current culture media are classified according to the buffer used, including CO2/bicarbonate buffered, phosphate buffered, and HEPES buffered culture media. The degree to which these systems depend on the environment and the impact on embryonic development also need continued study.
The addition of antioxidants, antibiotics, growth factors and other ingredients during embryo culture helps to improve the quality of embryo development.
Although animal studies have shown that cultured embryos may have epigenetic abnormalities, continued optimization of the technology is still urgent. This has also led to the development of embryo culture techniques, which are now widely used in non-human species to study their development, assisted reproduction technology, and the generation of genetically modified animals.
In summary, low oxygen environment plays a vital role in embryonic development. In future research, how to continue to improve culture technology and further improve the health of embryos and live birth rates remains a question worthy of our deep consideration.
